For Parents

Patient Procedures

Our library of patient procedures is a useful resource for parents or guardians who are preparing a child for surgery or a diagnostic procedure. These easy-to-understand descriptions of the most common procedures will help parents and their children better understand what to expect.

Please remember that some children need less information than others in order to be properly prepared. Please contact the Child Life Department, at 412-692-5022, if you would like further support in preparing your child.

List of all available patient procedure sheets

Anesthesiology
General Anesthesia
General Anesthesia with Caudal Anesthesia
Parental Presence
Procedural Sedation

Audiology
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Test
Caring for Hearing Aids and Earmolds
Cochlear Implant Surgery
Hearing Aids
Videostroboscopy of the Larynx

Cardiology (Heart Center)
Echocardiogram (ECHO)
Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)
Exercise (Stress) Test
Holter Monitoring
Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)

Gastroenterology
24-Hour pH Probe
Capsule Endoscopy
Colonoscopy
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)
Gastric Emptying Study
Liver Biopsy

Hematology/Oncology
Blood Draws
Bone Marrow Aspiration and Bone Marrow Biopsy
Therapeutic Spinal Taps

Neurology
Electroencephalogram (EEG) and Video EEG
Electromyogram (EMG) Laboratory Examination
Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap)
Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) Scan
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scans

Ophthamology
Cataract Extraction Surgery with or without Intraocular Lens Insertion
Eye Examination Under Anesthesia
Eye Movement Recording
Eye Muscle Surgery
Probe and Irrigation of Nasolacrimal Duct
Trabeculotomy

Otolaryngology (ENT)
Bilateral Myringotomy and Tubes (BM-T)
Direct Flexible Laryngoscopy
Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
Tympanoplasty/ Paper Patch Myringoplasty
Upper Aerodigestive Tract Endoscopy

Plastic Surgery
Alveolar Bone Graft
Cleft Lip Repair
Cleft Palate Repair
Craniofacial Surgery
Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment
Tissue Expansion

Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy & Immunology
Allergy Skin Testing
Exercise-Induced Asthma Testing
Exhaled Nitric Oxide (ENO) Testing
Flexible Bronchoscopy
Food Challenge Testing
Infant Pulmonary Function Testing (iPFT)
Oscillometry Testing
Spirometry Testing
Sweat Testing

Radiology
Barium Enema (BE)
CT Scan
DMSA Renal (Kidney) Scan
Esophagram
Gastric Emptying Study
Image-Guided Biopsies
Joint Aspiration or Joint Injection
Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) Scan
Modified Barium Swallow (Cookie Swallow)
MRI Scan
Nuclear Medicine Tests
Pediatric Interventional Radiology
Pediatric Ultrasound
Pediatric X-Ray
Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC)
Policies and Preparation Tips for Parents and Guardians
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scans
Sedation for Radiologic Studies
Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Series
Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) with Small Bowel Series
Voiding Cystourethrogram (VCUG)